It all started with a week of bushwalking with Leo in Australia during March 1999.
Having been able to keep up with the odB patriarch of walking (twenty years my
senior I might add), I was pronounced capable of doing the four day march in
Nijmegen. It became an idea that took on a life of its own. Before I knew it,
I was registered for the 84th Four-Day March of
Nijmegen (Vierdaagse van Nijmegen), as were the other two rookie walkers, Mies and
Flip, plus veteran Leo (of course). Did we sign up for the 30 km event? Of
course not. Was 40 km an option? Gracious no. We would do the 50 km
course!

Day 1

Sorry, no pictures of the start. At 4:30 am, the flash on my camera would be
insufficient for capturing any more than the few meters ahead of me. I can tell you
though that there were wellwishers on most every corner as we headed north out of town for
the bridge across the Maas. Even in the first hamlets we traversed at 5 am,
people were out in their yards, bundled up in their lawn chairs, watching and cheering,
wishing the hordes "Succes!!!". Of the 43,008 people who
register for the 84th Vierdaagse, 41,093 started, and it seemed like they were all trying
to navigate down the narrow streets at the same time.

The route took us within a block of the home of Jack and Stien odB in Valburg.
Much to our delight, they had set up a rest stop for the odB walkers, having refreshments
and food ready. One lucky walker even got a light leg and foot massage, courtesy of
Kees van Splunder. With water bottles topped off, we fell back in step with
the masses who continued to file past.

In Valburg[photo by Jannemie Hartog-Janse]Jim, Mies, and Flip

That is good, ya![photo by Jannemie Hartog-Janse]

Day 2

This day's route took us through Wijchen twice, where we were greeted both times by
Flip's family: Annick, Lisa, and Julius, who had hot coffee and light snacks for us.
In the afternoon, we also had the pleasure of meeting Annick parents, Yann and Joos
Hardeveld. The sight of familiar faces was a welcome break in the monotony.

Quite unexpectedly in the afternoon, while traversing the seven hills, we looked up
just in time to see a sign on a lamppost bearing Jim's name. It was put there by the
parents of Jacorien Wouters, whom Jim had befriended while she was on an extended work
assignment in San Jose, California. Ironically the sign referenced TUDelft,
the work place of Jacorien's husband Jerry, whom the Wouters had thought was the
'connection' with Jim. After a short conversation and a group picture, we were once
again on our way.

Sign in Groesbeek haling Jim.[photo by Tinie Wouters]

The four odB walkers[photo by Tinie Wouters]Jim, Mies, Flip, and Leo

Day 4

The odB walkers each wear a special T-shirt on this final day. It showed a bird
eating a frog, but the frogs hands were around the bird's throat, preventing him from
being swallowed. The caption read, "Never ever give up!".
Through the course of the day, many of our fellow walkers voiced their concurrence with
that small, but powerful message.

The Masses approaching Grave, and this is only a small
part of the column walking 50 km.

Nearing the finish line.

A mere 285,000 steps and 43 hours of walking after we started, the four of us had our
medals. We had successfully completed the course! Each of us,
for our own reasons, had accepted the challenge and met it. With the gratification
of knowing that they were equal to the task, the rookies took to verbalizing their hard
learned lesson, "Never ever again!"Maybe.